Can you believe someone starts to backflip like a pro at the age of 5 but never played any position in organized football till he is 14? Well, the once-unsung hero is none other than the current USF football phenom Kelley Joiner, who has been in the spotlight in a terrific season. Growing up in the suburbs of Clermont, Florida, the kid never got the chance to be an early bloomer like the most prolific athletes in the industry. However, the prompt landing on the varsity after a scarce high school presence didn’t hinder his meteoric rise in the world of CFB afterwards.

The young lad used to be a versatile sports entity in his rookie years as he got a decent grasp hold over the basketball court. He played the shooting guard in South Lake’s varsity basketball team unless and until football predominantly took over his career. Now, it begs the question: where does that super athletic genes come from? Let’s take you to his phenomenal parents, Kelley Joiner Sr. And April Robinson.

Meet USF’s standout RB Kelley Joiner Jr’s athletic parents 

The USF Running Back had spent a fulfilling childhood in the sweetly chaotic environment of a big joint family. Amongst his parents, five brothers and two sisters, and a loving grandpa, the quintessential footballer collected the memory of a lifetime. Apart from all the fun and hustle, the family provided him with a strong athletic backbone that was able to do a flawless backflip at a very early age. This is an innate skill he inherited from his mother, April Robinson, who had a luminous career in softball before she committed full-time to the Joiner family. Father Joiner Sr. has also been a constant applauder of his Kelley, pouring in his rock-solid confidence.

The 5 ft 9 always dreamt of carving out a legacy in a breakout season alongside his best buddies, the team cum roommates,–  (WR),  (RB), and  (DE), before their final stint with the Bulls as seniors. He has quite been on his way to clinching a slew of records and stats for the team for the last couple of hours but has yet to reach his full potential. Whenever he touches the highest milestone he has set for himself in the gridiron, after his parents, it will probably be his grandfather who would be the happiest.

After all, in football, Kelley Sr’s father, Terry Isom, was the first sophist in the family.

A heart-melting bond with Grandpa added big time to Kelley Joiner’s life and career

The kid shares a very special bond with his grandfather, Terry Isom. When he was just on the verge of tying up the boots for one of the landmark games in his career, the one he reached out to first over the phone to share the overwhelming emotion was his gramp. “I tell him everything. We’re real close,” Joiner said. “All right, make the best of the opportunities you get.” The player got emotional when remembering the priceless conversation.

”He told me to run around the house, do a couple of laps, and run up and down the street,” Joiner continued narrating how his dearest old man helped him grasp the basic skill of a good athlete during his pertinacious playing session in the home yard.

While last season he couldn’t do much to tackle the rugged Miami defense, he can always come back stronger, showcasing more astonishing runs and carries for the Bulls.

If you want to know about other nitty-gritty of college football, you can refer to our ES Think Tank interview with Doug Sanders, founder of Sanders Sports and Entertainment.